Writer, Book Blogger, Librarian

Booking Through Thursday: Book Reviews

Do you read book reviews? Whose do you trust? Do they affect your reading habits? Your buying habits?

Great question, coming off a week at the Book Expo, after meeting so many new and interesting authors and book bloggers!

I do read book reviews, both in traditional news outlets, and on book blogs. Because I’ve had a busy and productive week meeting new book bloggers and learning about all their review styles, I’m still building a list of bloggers who will be my favorite resources for book recommendations. Come back in 2-3 weeks and I’ll have a better handle on it.

I like the Star-Ledger’s book page because my fellow reviewers write clearly, and in a way that really tells me what to expect from a book, whether I’ll like it or not. And I’m a huge fan of the Baltimore Sun’s Read Street because I enjoy the way they combine books with riffs on the reading and literary life. It’s what I aspire to with this blog. Sometimes I read the NY Times Review of Books, but it’s more because I feel I ought to.

Book bloggers:

Sassymonkey is always a good resource. We tend to like the same kinds of books. I’ve found some goodies through her: My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger, The Kitchen Daughter, by Jael McHenry, Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell

At this point, I sometimes can’t even remember who’s recommending books as I browse the book blogs, with my library hold list window open. That’s the thing- it hasn’t changed my buying habits particularly. But my library experience is much richer, for having all these book recommendations available on the Internet.

I read 15-20 book reviews per day. Not only do I enjoy the recommendations, I enjoy the writing and the thoughtfulness. Reading a book consumes a huge amount of time; writing thoughtfully about a book requires considerable effort, and many eviewers are excellent writers in their own right.